Envelope sealer



May 12, 1931. AQHAL 3 1,804,609

, ENVELOPE SEALER" Filed April 1 s', 192a lnvenTor.

- AlFred Hull 40 byMMkW ATTys.

Patented May 12, 1931 PATENT orries ALFRED HALL, F EAST JAFFBEY, NEW HAMPSHIRE ENVELOPE SEALER Application filed April 13,

This invention relates to envelope sealers of that type comprising a hollow handle portion constituting a water reservoir, a pad support carrying a moistening pad at one end of the handle and a presser foot adjacent the pad support.

In using these sealers the operator grasps them by the handle, inserts the pad beneath the envelope flap and moves the device from one end of the flap to the other, the gummed portion of the flap becoming moistened as it passes over the pad and the presser foot pressing the moistened flap against the envelope and sealing the latter.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide improvements in envelope sealers of this type by which the cost of manufacture is greatly reduced and another object of the invention is to provide improvements in envelope sealers of this type by which the flap of the envelope will be held firmly against Ehe pad as the pad is moved underneath said In securing thefirst object of the invention I propose to make the implement from a single piece of sheet material (preferably sheet metal, although any sheet material suitable for the purpose may be used), which is bent into shape to provide the hollow handle, the pad support and the presser foot. By thus making the article from a single piece of properly shaped sheet material the cost of manufacture can be verymateriaHy reduced without in any way sacrificing'any of the desirable qualities of the device.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in'the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now bedescribed after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claim.

Fig. 1 is a view showing a blank of sheet material from which the implement is formed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the envelope sealer in its completed state;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating the manner in which the device is used;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line H, Fig. 2.

As stated above one feature of the present 1928. Serial No. 269,751.

invention relates to the making of the implement from a singlepiece of sheet material of the proper shape, the latter being folded so as to form the hollow tubular handle portion 1, pad support Qadaptedto receive a moistening pad 3 and a presser foot 4. Fig. 1 illustratesthe blank of sheet metal from which the device is made. I This comprises a portion 5 from which the sides of the handle are formed, said blank having the extension 6- which forms one end of the handle and the neck portion 7 which formsthe other end of the handle, and also having the two portions 8 and 9 which form the pad'support 3 and the presser foot 4."

In forming the blank the two portions 8 and 9 are integrally connected at 10 and are separated by a slit '11 terminating-in an aperture 12. The portion 8 is also formed with the two ears 13 and 14 and the presser foot portion 9 is formed with the U-shaped slit 15. I p

The neck 7 of the blank is formed with a large opening 16 and two smallopenings 17. Ablank such as above described can be easily cut out'from sheet'material by suitable dies. In fo-rming'the article the body portion 5 is folded alongthe dotted lines 18, 19, 20 and 21 to form'the four sides of the handle 1, the two edges 22 of the blank meeting at the center of the bottom side of the handle as shown in'Fig. 4:. The end of the'part 5is cut with'the conveXly-curved edges 23 and the tab 6 is folded down against these edges toform the end of the handle. The neck 7 is also folded downagainst the end edges of the handle to form the other end thereof. It will be noted that the blank is formed with the inclined edges 24 which extend from the lines-19 and 20 to the lines 18, 21 and as a result when the neck 7 is folded down to form the lower end of the handle said neck will have the inclined position shown in Fig. 2.

The meeting edges ofthe blank will be suitably soldered or otherwise secured together to makea water tight chamber within the handle, said chamber having the large opening 16 in the end 7 and also having the two small openings 17 v The portion 8 of the blank is bent along the line 25 to form an upstanding flange 26 along the edge of said pad-receiving portion and the car 13 is bent along the line 27 to form a clip or hold-down for the pad 3. The blank is also bent along the lines 28, 29 to form two upstanding flanges 30, 31 with which the flange 26 serves to hold the pad 3 in proper position. The car 14 is also bent over along the line 32 to overlie the moistening pad 3 and assist in holding the latter in place. An additional hold-down ear 33 is struck up from the blank to engage the pad opposite the ear 14.

When the moistening pad .3 is in place the end thereof overlies the small apertures 17 and the water which is in the handle will seep through the apertures and keep the pad moist. The large aperture 16 is a filling aperture. by which the handle may be filled with Water and this is normally closed by a stopper 34.

The portion 9 of the blank which constitutes the presser foot 4 is bent along the line 35 to form an upstanding fiange36 and the the end of which overlies the top of the moisteningpad. The purpose of this finger is to press the envelope flap against the moisthe hollow handle and also having a tab at one end which is bent to form the end Wall of the hollow handle at one end thereof and a neck portion connecting the body portion with the pad-receiving and presser foot portions, said neck portion being. bent to form the other end Wall of the hollow handle.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

' ALFRED HALL.

tening pad, especially at the entering point thereby to ensure that the flap is properly moistened.

The device is used in the same way that similar envelope sealers are. The tip of the pad 3 isinserted-underneath.the flap 39 of an envelope 40 close to oneend and then the device is given a movement lengthwise of the flap or in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3. As theimplement is passed across the flap the moistened pad 3 will apply moisture to the gummed surface of the flap and the presser foot will press the moistened flap against the body of the envelope thereby sealing it. v

The hold-down finger 38 is a valuable feature as this ensures that the small end of the flap will be pressed against the moistened pad and thus properly moistened. Hence with this device the flap will be sealed throughout its entire length.

By making the device from a, single piece of sheet material bent as herein shown, the number of operations required to complete the implement is greatly reduced as well as the cost I claim: I 7

An envelope sealer comprising a hollow handle portion, a pad-receiving portion havalong spaced parallel lines to form the sidesof 

